U.S. Ski Team veteran Kikkan Randall reacts to teammate Sophie Caldwell's first-career podium. "You could tell she was ready to make this happen," Randall said on the phone Tuesday. Randall's husband, Jeff Ellis, also talks about his experience interviewing Caldwell after the race.
Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outsprinted the field, and Switzerland's Dario Cologna, to win Sunday's 30 k skiathlon in Rybinsk. Finland's Matti Heikkinen placed third, and Russia took six of the top eight.
USST athlete Jessie Diggins earned her second fifth-place of the weekend in the 7.5 k + 7.5 k skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia. Diggins led the USST women to place four skiers in the top-20 with Liz Stephen in seventh, Sadie Bjornsen in 13th, and Rosie Brennan in 20th.
In the final race before a break in World Cup racing, Canada's Alex Harvey recovered from a rough classic portion of the men's 30-kilometer skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia, to take ninth. Ivan Babikov cracked the top-20 and finished in 19th.
Russian Yulia Tchekaleva won the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon Sunday by 15.6 seconds, earning her first-ever World Cup victory and delivering her best result of the season on home turf in Rybinsk, Russia.
After making it through the qualifier, three Americans and Canadian Alex Harvey were not able to race their way into the semifinals of Saturday's World Cup 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Rybinsk, Russia. However, American Erik Bjornsen had his best sprint result on the World Cup and reached the heats for the first time.
Canadian Alex Harvey took 10th in the World Cup 15 k freestyle individual start in Rybinsk, Russia, taking 10th, while Ivan Babikov placed 22nd and Devon Kershaw finished 36th for Canada. The American men finished 40th and 50th with Erik Bjornsen and Matt Gelso, respectively.
Decisions on the World Cup circuit, like when to stop when the going's good or whether to stay in Europe when things aren't going exactly according to plan, aren't easy. But they have to be made. APU Head Coach Erik Flora explains the thought processes behind some recent U.S. Ski Team member moves.
Two topics today. Rybinsk Field Strength I’m including the Moscow sprints here, but generally these races are notorious for low attendance. They require some of the most travel for many of the Europeans and they are often scheduled very near the Scandinavian nation’s national championships. Did this year’s races attract a stronger or weaker field [...] Related posts:
At the start of Sunday 15 k skiathlon in Rybinsk, Russia, all eyes were on two women: Marit Bjørgen, the Norwegian who had dominated the 10 k mass start on Saturday and taken over the lead in the World Cup rankings, and Justyna Kowalczyk, the Pole who had won the Tour de Ski and held the World Cup lead until Bjørgen took it over. “It has turned out to be a lot of Marit and...
In December, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported that an unnamed member of the Norwegian national team had been flagged for low body weight and that coaches and staff were hoping to help the female athlete gain weight and return to better health. Almost two months later, it seems likely that the woman in question was Kristin Størmer Steira, who was benched for the Rybinsk races this weekend due to low body weight. Norwegian daily newspaper Dagbladet...
When Justyna Kowalczyk stood at the head of the chevron before the 10 k pursuit Friday morning in Rybinsk, Russia, she must have felt a little bit lonely. That’s because no less than 20 of the top 30 women in the current overall World Cup rankings were missing. Kowalczyk’s biggest rival, Marit Bjoergen (NOR) opted to take the weekend off, as did fourth ranked Petra Majdic (SLO), and 6th through 9th, Therese Johaug (NOR), Charlotte...
From 22nd to 24th October, FIS organized a seminar for FIS Cross- Country Technical Delegates of OPA countries in Ramsau. More than sixty participants from eleven nations gathered to update their knowledge of competition rules and event organization. Participants from traditional OPA alpine countries were accompanied by representatives of Great Britain, Japan, Mongolia and Romania. Four candidates for Technical Delegate passed the exam successfully and many new participants were registered as candidates. On Saturday evening,...